Have you ever felt that your photographic mojo has been lost? I know I have, yes I can still go out and take pictures, but that spark just isn’t there… And you don’t know how to get it back.
I’ve been in that situation a few times, the images are technically good, but I just feel they are empty and lacking any passion. One of the things that I’ve discussed with the Real Mark Scholey several times is ways to rediscover that passion and drive; and our conversations always come back to shooting a project. Sounds easy doesn’t it, that’s what I thought.
Setting out with the idea of a project, you can’t just think of a subject and shoot it. It actually takes quite a bit of planning, especially if your goal is to produce a body of work at the end of it for a book or a small gallery exhibition. It takes time, and lots of thinking, planning, re-planning, adapting the project as you progress it. But one thing it does for me, is hand me the passion for creating art again.
And project planning is just what I’m starting now after a period of feeling a little flat and jaded with my own photography. The results of which shall be shared on these very pages!
Yes, yes, I’m still alive and back from the dead… :p
It’s that time of year when the 4Togs (well, the 3 least-hairy 4Togs, anyway) like to pack up their bags and head for pastures new.
So, whilst Mark is chained to his desk (which he quite enjoys, apparently), the rest of us are upping sticks and heading to Newquay for some sun, sea, surf and shandies. You can expect a variety of daftness over the course of the next week as we share our adventures with you all.
We welcome audience participation, as always, so if you have any suggestions on where to go, what (or who) to see, or adventures to have – please let us have them. So far, all I’ve managed to come up with is a day out as the Pyrites of Penzance 
Watch this space… The frolics start Sunday!
Back in the archives of the 4togs I wrote about the gear obsessions that people seem to have with the latest kit. So what did I do when I got a bit of spare cash… No, I didn’t go and spend it on the next piece of trick kit, instead I signed up for a Seminar. Not just any seminar though, as I’m building a business it had to be close to the area of photography that I was working towards and relevant for my learning requirements.
So what seminar did I go for? It was the three day workshop with David A Williams and his ‘Almost Alone’ sessions. Why this course you may ask, well I knew I needed to work on posing groups and couples for portrait sessions and it would be relevant to wedding photography. It also gave me the chance to meet one of the most wonderful and respected photographers. All I can say is that I was not disappointed with my investment in any way, being a hands on course, with posing sessions as well as talks about several areas of posing groups, couples and individuals, it went further and demonstrated lighting (both available and flash), telling the story of wedding days and even into album design. All this was offered up by the most energetic and caring person I have had the pleasure to meet, David Williams, he also has a wicked sense of humour. One of the highlights was the one on one critique session, it was a great experience and not one negative in there, all the feedback was positively re-inforced to encourage learning and self improvement.
So have I improved following on from the course? I know I have, but I’ve not stopped yet… every day is a new chance to learn and improve, one of the key things that I took away with me, was that now matter what skill level you are at, you can always learn something new and improve yourself. All this without buying any new kit!
So go on, treat yourself to a workshop, course or seminar.
We may enjoy the odd shandy or two at 4Togs Towers, but we want you to know that we are concerned for the environment as well. Therefore we always recycle the empties!
p.s. We still have more to empty yet…
16 Minutes to go here… to the start of the new F1 season, first race is Melbourne Australia
I’m excited and awake to watch it (6.44am right now UK time). loads of new rules, more tyre choices and some funky wings! I really can’t wait for it all. I am a huge Gear head, love all thing Motor and racing. I’d like Hamilton to take a second title but the heart is loving Brawn GP…
I only need to hear the first few notes of the classic BBC F1 song (click the triangle upper left) to get in *that* zone for motorsport!
It’s all counting down, interviews on the gird now with the drivers… so close to the excitement, drama and sheer noise of the season!
C’mon, share your predictions for the final champion.
When you think about it, Thursday is a bit of a fail as far as days go… Why? Well let me explain:
The weekend speaks for itself; it’s THE WEEKEND! It’s where the fun is at, no work all play (if you have to work at weekends, then it’s your own fault, we have no sympathy, unless you work in a pub which makes you a saint). Monday and Tuesday you can still remember the fun of the weekend although they are a bit mundane being back to the day job. Then you have Wednesday, which is the middle of the working week, half way there, it’s a milestone day, the light at the end of the tunnel can be seen midday on Wednesday. I don’t really need to explain Friday, it’s the gateway to the weekend where all the fun will be.
This only leaves Thursday, what does it do? It’s just makes the week longer, a nothing day, can’t even have pizza on a Thursday (everyone knows that it’s always pizza on a Friday) because the laws of Pizza Friday, having pizza on Thursday would create a failing of law, order and the universe as we know it! I mean Thursday, it’s no fun, it’s just the packing in any parcel, it’s just bulk, I think Thursday should be dropped from the week purely because it does nothing.
So as a day, Thursday has kind of failed at everything. Would we really miss it anyway?
Well I’ve not participated as much as I should have to the 4Togsblog so far, and with good reason! Why I hear you ask.
I’m a serial sufferer of the age old problem of Procrastination, a scourge of many if not most people. Don’t get me wrong it’s not that I’m lazy or have nothing to do, believe me as I’m in the process of going self-employed, I have a mountain of tasks, work, errands and jobs to get done. It’s just that it’s easy to find distraction… (drifts off gazing out the window at the clouds…) See, just done it again, I’m writing an article for the blog, and Wham! several minutes have passed by doing, well, nothing really.
So how do you cure it, I’ve no idea. Seriously, I’m a full-time sufferer of this time-eating disorder. Anybody who can invent a cure for it then you need to copyright it immediately, and get your arse over to the Dragons Den for some investment. To try an counteract my procrastination, I’ve tried various things, such as:
-disconnecting the internet (not good when I need to research stuff or send emails)
-sitting in a darkened room (can’t see my keyboard or the page I’m writing on)
-switched off the computer (useless as most of my work is on there)
-No phones on (so how do my potential clients reach me)
So you see, there aren’t any real cures for it right now (pauses typing to go reply to a Tweet) other than trying your best to focus on the task at hand and even then it’s far too easily to become distracted and find the Procrastination monster has struck again…
Blimey, guess what… it’s just got you as well, by reading this article you’ve allowed yourself to become distracted! So be careful and be safe, because procrastination is infectious!
